About the city
At one time, Shimla was the summer capital of India, when India was under the British rule. However, now it is the state capital of Himachal Pradesh and has a population of about 1.6 lac. Shimla is a place that has some history; it was the place where the famous Shimla pact was signed between India and Pakistan. It is also a place that is famous for its architectural buildings, natural beauty, apples and wooden crafts.
Shimla is basically a hill town surrounded by pine and deodar forests. When traveling to Shimla, it is advisable to get hotel reservations done well in advance as though there are over 1000 hotels in Shimla, the tourists flocking here in great numbers prove these hotels to be insufficient. You find Shimla to be a friendly place that is quite safe when compared to other tourist destinations. Shimla has been named the ‘Queen of the hills’ because of its natural bounties. The languages spoken here are Himachali (Pahari), Hindi and English. Hiking and trekking are quite famous here in Shimla. There are many hills in Shimla that provide for your trekking and hiking needs.
Travel Destinations
Shimla is not only the best summer retreat; it is a great place for adventure sports. Kullu valley provides wonderful treks while the Pabbar River has great trout fishing. If you love skiing, then you may try your luck in the Narkanda and Kufri between the months of January and mid-March. You also find that the nine-hole golf course in Naldehra is a great tourist attraction.
The Mall found here is the best place for your shopping spree for the best in the garment and textile industry. Besides garments, you find that the hats of variable charges and colors found here are great souvenirs. You can also find dry fruits and medicinal natural herbs here in any of the local shops. If you want wooden items of different shapes and sizes, then Lakkar Bazaar is the place to go. You can also find the Gaiety Theater found here in the vicinity; and this itself is a center for cultural activities.
The Himachal State Museum and Library has a great collection of antique sculptures, coins, photos, paintings and souvenirs of Himachal Pradesh for you to see. The library houses numerous historical books and manuscripts portraying information about Himachal Pradesh. The Vice regal Lodge and Botanical Gardens is found on the Observatory Hills and is also referred to as ‘Rashtrapati Niwas’. This was the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin in 1888. It is six stories high and surrounded by beautiful gardens and lawns which are well maintained. The Indian Institute of Advanced Studies is also an attraction found here.
You find a large, open space in the middle of the town of Shimla, called the Ridge where you get an excellent view of mountain ranges. You can also get to see Shimla’s landmarks; the Neo-Gothic structure of Christ Church and the new Tudor Library building from here. A visit to the Prospect Hill which is crowned by a temple for Kaman Devil is a must. Situated at an altitude of 2,155 m, you get a great view of the surrounding areas from the temple. Then there are the other hills here in Shimla like Summer hill and Potter hill that provide spectacular views of the surroundings. Just make a visit, and you are sure to find out that Shimla is in deed a place wroth visiting.
Hotel and accommodation
You can find many hotels and restaurants in Shimla to meet your accommodation needs when in Shimla. There are about 500 hotels in and around Shimla including a five star hotel, Cecil Hotel among others, and many three star hotels. In addition to this, you also find many Govt. Guest Houses and private Guest Houses where you can lodge in during your stay here. These are great places to stay in when in Shimla as it offers you privacy and convenience at a reasonable price. You get privacy as there is no staff to bother or disturb you during your stay in Shimla while with them. So it can be seen that accommodation is basically not much of a problem in Shimla. But make it a point to make advance bookings for your accommodation while in Shimla, just to be on the safer side and to avoid any disappointments.
Weather conditions
Shimla is a place that can be visited throughout the year as individual seasons have different charms. Winter is cold here, where there are chilly winds from the Himalayas. Shimla experiences snowfall around Christmas or the last week of December. The temperature in summer is between 15 and 27 degrees while in winters, it is between 0 – 17 degrees.
Tourists are found in abundance here during winter. You find that Shimla becomes a winter-sports and ice-skating carnival in winter. The summers tend to provide lots of relief from the scorching heat with its cool breeze. You can enjoy yourself in long walks and treks while admiring scenic beauty of wooded ravines, pines and flowers in the summer here. basically, the best time to visit Shimla is between April and August and between December to January.
Getting in and around there
Shimla can be reached by air at the Shimla airport in Jubbarhatti. This airport is about 23 km from city and is connected to Chandigarh, Kullu and Delhi. There are some special flights on other days of the week, catering to different towns of Shimla.
It is also possible to reach Shimla by road as Shimla is connected to major towns by road. Then there is the possibility of reaching Shimla by train with the many trains plying from Kalka to Shimla. You can also try out the Rail car which is only one of its kind. The railway tunnel has 103 tunnels where the longest tunnel is 1.2 km long.
For your local transportation needs when in Shimla, you find local bus services between 7am to 9 pm. Taxis are also available for your local travel and sight seeing. There are also many daily tourist buses which are available for local sight seeing. Bookings can be done in the Tourist Information Center on the Mall. If you want to reach hills like Kali Bari and the Mall, it is only possible through foot as no vehicles can ply these routes.